Primary battery



Aprii 6 1926.

M. 1.. MARTUS ET AL PRIMARY BATTERY Original Filed June 2,

2 Shets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

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M. L. MARTUS ET AL PRIMARY BATTERY 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Origi l Filed June 3,

INVENTOR.

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' To all whom it may concern Patented Apr. 6,1926.

TUNIT'EDV STATES P rE TjoF-rlca Mm'rm'r. nuisance, or

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Original applicationfled June 2, 19%, Serial No, 717,225. Divided and this application med November Be it known that MARTIN \Voodbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, and EDMUND H. BECKER and JAMES G. Ross,

both of Waterbury, -Nefi Haven County,

Connecticut, all citizens o the United States,

i have invented certain new and useful Im- F compact form,

provements in Primary Batteries of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved primary battery, and is a'division of our appllca tion for primary batteries, filed June 2, 1924,;

Serial Number 717,225, an object being to provide a battery unit of this character of particularly adapted for radio or filament lightin and in which the electrodeelements will e supported in a manner as to be entirely spaced from each other and independently mounted, preventing internal short circuits, and 'further to provide such elements, which may be ad usted*vertically independently of each other,

' and which will be self-centering within the jar or container. 7 p I .A particular ob ect is to provlde a battery ofthis character, adapted to be prepared for functioning merely by the addi- V tion of water, and inwhich the heat gener- 'ated through formation of the electrolyte is radiated in a manner as not to injuriously effect the battery.

further object is to provide means for V. liberating a protective film of oil,-in such -manner that any possibility of the elements an embodiment of-the invention is shown.

becoming deleteriously coated with the oil is prevented. I p 'With the above and other ob ects in view,

in the accompanying drawings, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finallypointed' out in the claims, p

In the drawings:

Fig. .1 isa vertical sectional View of a bat? tery unit according to. the present embodiment of'the invention, andshowing the same.

before" the addition of water to form the electrolyte;

2 is a horizontal sectional view theremodified battery unit, according to the invention; and" Fig is a horizontal sectional'view there-- of, taken along the line 44 of Fig. 3.

g g i Fig. 3 is a verticalsectional view, of-a 7' L. -MARTUS, 'of

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding arts throughout the severalfig 'ures of the rawings.

to the drawings, the battery Referring unit, acordlng to the present embodiment of the invention, comprises acylindrical glass through the basket and said flanged caps and is provided at its lower end with a spear point 18, being flanged adjacent its lower end, as at 19, to-engage and support the under side of the-basket element. Be-

' tween the upper cap 16 and the bushing 13,

said rod is provided with; a spacing tube 20,-

and its upper end is threaded and'pr'ovided with securing nuts 21.

[The spear point 18 engages an insulating socket member 22held in the end of-a 001 spring 23 disposed in the-base of the jarllO,

and'havingits lower convolution of circular form and engaging the cylindrical wall of the jar to centralizethe element under all conditions of use, and particularly when the battery is subjected to vibration or shock.

The basket15 contains a suitable negative electrode substance 24, as copper oxide scale,

and forms the negative element of the batbe i l jThe positive element 25 'of sheet zinc, is of tubular form and vertically corrugated, and

a Perforation 27 in the ca this perforation being insulated. by a in bar 28'.

is supported .within the jar by an insulation covered .wire'26 extending upwardly through:

The zinc issusp'ended:in itsfiverticaliy adjustedposition. by bending thejwire over 'u on the' ,upper end, of theflbushil'igl 28, as;

c earlydndicated-inj .1,-.ana"; he vertical.

'- W n e I J saaw disturbing the negative electrode by merely raising or lowering the wire and bending the same at a different place. The inner surface of the zinc is annularly spaced from the negative element, and inasmuch as the high points of the corrugations substantially engagethe inner surface of the jar the same 1 is vertically positioned and centralized.

36 an oil container 31, preferably in the form.

i The cap is also provided with an aperture 29,- having a removable closure stopper 30, of rubber or the like, inserted'therein which normally seals the jar substantially air-tight, and carf'be" conveniently removed, forthe purpose of initially placmgwater in the jar,- as will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

According to our invention the two electrode elements of the battery are supported entirely independently of each other, with no connection between them to form bridges or short circuits, such as have occurred heretofore with the usual insulation employed between the elements or the supporting of a capsule of a substance adapted to be dissolved .or otherwise affected b -the bat tery solution to release the oil,w iich being lighter than the solution rises to the top to form a protective film. v The protective film of oil is adapted to prevent evaporation and capillary creepage of the solution and the manner of liberating'the same after the ele-' ments are completely submerged by the solu tion prevents any possibility of the same becoming coated with the oil, as might occur,

for instance, when the elements are lowered into a solution having a film of oil already poured thereon.

In order to enable the battery to be prepared for functioning merely by the addition of water, the same is provided with acake 32 of caustic soda in solid form,vhaving a shouldered passage 33 therethrou h for engagement over the upper end of-t e negative element in spaced relation thereto, and adapted to rest upon the upper end of the zinc element in spaced relation to the wall of the jar. A groove 34 is formed in the side of the cake in which is engaged the lead wire 26 of the zinc element, and which is bent into said groove for the purpose of retaining the cake in position during shipment. r v I The glass jar 10 is placed in a protective container in the form of a metal can 35, spaced from the jar and having a lining 36 of corrugated paper or other suitable cushioning protective material engag ng the jar, and also a bottom protective layer 37 of similar material upon which the jar rests. The container not only protects the jar against shocks, but will retain the electrolyte solution if the jar is accidentally broken. The top of the can serves to indicate the solution line allowing ample splash space in the jar, as a visual indication that the cell contains a liquid and must be handled accordingly. In other words the solution line should be in line with the top end of the outside can.

In order to start the battery to functioning, it is only necessary to add water thereto up to the proper level through the opening 29, the cake 32 dissolving therein to form the electrolyte solution, and the oil contained in the space 31 being liberated to form a protective film or layer. Q

It will be noted that the jar is relatively tall and of small diameter, and it is important that this ratio is followed, as the efficiency of the battery is depentlent thereon to a great "extent, the dissolvingof the soda,

' the radiation of the heat of the solution, and

the diffusion of the electrolyte all being governed by the height of therjar. A cake of soda of about three ounces dissolves in about twenty minutes, which is slow enough to dissipate the heat very gradually, so that the glass will not crack, and the location of the soda in the jar is such that the solution does not require stirring to dissolve it.

The soda cake is laced and supported at such height above t e bottom of the jar to allow sufiicient'circulation and difi'usiom'so that the'soda will thoroughly dissolve, without agitation or stirring, The dissolving soda being of greater specific gravity than the water tends to drop to the bottom, the lighter water moving upwardly into contact with the soda cake, so that an automatic gravitational circulation is setup through the chemical reaction. The slow dissolving.

of the soda also dissipates heat so gradually that aspecial heat resisting lass jar is not required, the time for disso ving the soda being governed by its surface exposure to the solution, the amount of solution displaced by the soda gives the proper solution height to the electrolyte, so that it is impossible to get too much water in the jar.

It will be \mderstood that the invention is adaptable t9 use with other types of primary battery and secondary battery units, in which case the solution and materials of the elements will be changed as is well known. I y

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4c, the vertical can:-

ter rod It is extended through the ed cylindrical negative element basket supported thereon by the centrally apertured flanged caps 16 and 17, and being held against longitudinal movement on the rod by the spacing tube 20 at the top and by the washer 19 at the bottom supported upon the rod by pinching out the lower end thereof as at 38.

Between the washer 19 and the cap 17 there is interposed a centrally apertured spring metal spider 39, the radial spring arms of which are inclined outwardly and downwardly, and are bent downwardly at their outer extremities, as at to engage the inner surface of the jar 10, thereby forming a cushion support and centralizing the negative element under all conditions of use, and particularly when the battery is subjected to-vibration or shock.

Positive element 41, of sheet zinc, is of cylindrical form and of smaller diameter than the inner surface of the jar, and is provided at a pluralityof spaced-points with vertically disposed outwardly bent radial ribs 42, which enga e the inner surface of the jar 10 and therdby centralize and vertically support and position the element. The zinc is supported within the jar by the .insulation covered wire 26 which like the rod 14 extends up through a hole in the insulator. plate 11, so that the same is spaced at all points from the negative element and its supporting means. The insulator plate in this form is held in position by the screw threaded ring clamp 11 that is removably attached to the jar.

It is understood that this battery unit may also be rovided with the oil container 31, as in the st embodiment and with the cake 32 of electrolyte forming substance.

We have illustrated and described a pre-. ferred and satisfactory embodiment of the invention, but it will be obvious that changes may be made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1 I I 1. In combinatioma battery'including a jar, acover, therefor, electrode elements sup ported in said jar, a cake of soluble electrolyte material in solid formsupported in said jar above both of said elements, and adapted to be dissolved by the addition of a liquid to produce the electrolyte solution.

2. In combination, a battery jar, a cover therefor, electrode elements in said jar, a

central support forv one of said elements de-- pending from said cover, soluble electrolyte material in solid form supported above said elements in said jar, said electrolyte material adapted to be dissolved by the addition of a liquld to produce the electrolyte solution.

3. A- primary battery consisting of a jar capable of being hermetically sealed, a cover for said jar, a positiveelement, a negative element, and an electrolyte in concentrated solid form located above said elements capable of being" dissolved by the addition of water. a

4. A primary battery consisting of a jar capable of being hermetically sealed, a cover for said jar, a positive element, a negative element, both insulatively supported in said jar, an alkaline salt in concentrated form supported above both of said elements, capable of being dissolved by the addition of .water.

-5. In a rimary battery to which water must be a ded, a jar, a cover, positive and negative elements, an electrolyte salt in the form of a cake, said cake being held or suspended within the jar above both of said elements.

'6. In a primary battery to which water mustbe added, a;jar,a cover, a positive element, a negatlve element, a space between said elements an electrolyte salt in solid form above both of said elements, the piece or pieces of said salt being thicker than the spacing between said elements.

7. In combination, a battery including a jar, a removable cover therefor, electrode elements secured to and depending from said cover within thejar, an electrolyte-salt in the form of a cake supportedby said cover above said elements, said-elements and said cake being removable from said jar upon the re-. a

moval of said cover.

.8. In combination, a battery including a transparent jar, a cover therefor, electrode elements in said jar, dry electrolyte material in said jar terminating in' spaced relation "to the upper end thereof and at'a point constituting a predetermined electrolyte level to indicate the amount of electrolyte.

Signed at Waterbury, New. Haven Count gonggiticut, this 12th day of November,

I MARTIN L. MARTUS. EDMUND H. BECKER.

JAMES ROSS. 

